FUNCTIONAL LOWER-LIMB SALVAGE WITH AN OSTEOCUTANEOUS FILET FLAP OF THE FOOT

An osteocutaneous foot filet flap based on the posterior tibial vessel s was successfully used to provide tibial coverage in a patient requir ing a below-knee amputation following a high-voltage electrical injury . Addition of the calcaneus to the standard foot filet flap provided a vascularized bone graft that served to both lengthen the tibia and se cure the flap via a tibial-calcaneal synostosis. The synostosis provid ed firm anchoring of the flap and allowed for a partial end-bearing, b elow-knee prosthesis.